Pursuing social change, whether it’s during the holiday season or any other time, can seem overwhelming. Goals like ending hunger or curing cancer are noble, but these are not actionable goals. While it’s important to have a long-term goal that identifies the problem you seek to fix, pursuing actionable micro goals reduces a complex problem into something that is manageable. This is why we love skip1.org, a site that encourages users to skip one small purchase and instead donate that money to charity.
As the video above demonstrates, many of the things we buy don’t improve our lives a great deal, but could make a major impact in the life of another. Skip1.org helps us visualize that fact. And, as those of you who’ve read The Dragonfly Effect know, spending money on others has a positive impact on happiness–much more so than spending on oneself.
So as you run around buying presents, preparing large meals for family and friends, and giving into the temptation to buy yet another latte to keep your engine running, consider skipping one thing and donating what you would have spent on skip1.org. To someone else, that small sacrifice could make all the difference.
Yes – what a great idea. Also, instead of buying things for people this holiday season, make a donation in their name to their favorite charity.